Late prevertebral abscess following anterior cervical plating: the missing screw

A 51-year-old man underwent a C5-C7 anterior decompression and fusion. Six years later the patient complained of dysphagia caused by displacement of the cervical plate. One week after the scheduled removal of the implanted material, the patient developed a painful cervical swelling and fever. His cervical radiographs showed that a screw was missing compared to previous studies. Computerized tomography showed a large prevertebral abscess anterior to C4-C7. He underwent emergency surgical drainage of the abscess that was followed by total recovery. This report is aimed at describing this unusual complication of cervical instrumentation and to briefly review its pathogenesis and management options.